Our Impact

Support Transforms

With more than 35 years of experience, we can confidently say support works—and the numbers speak for themselves.

Of the more than 900 formerly homeless individuals served with supportive housing in 2023:

96%

remain in
stable housing

Interior view of a housing building's residential unit's kitchen

71%

maintain or increase their cash income

Portrait of an older Black male resident

6 years

is the average length of stay

Casual picture of a younger Black male resident

98%

stay at least
a year

Exterior view of an unnamed housing building's main entrance and courtyard

$535

is the average increase in monthly income

Interior view of a residential unit's kitchen

Our demographics

In 2023, we served 1,672 individuals across our footprint.

640

of those individuals
live in a building
owned and operated
by SupportWorks

541

participate in a
scattered-site
program

491

are served through
Supportive Services
for Veteran Families

Some other key demographic information to know about our formerly homeless residents and participants:

Most have a disability

60% mental health / substance use

36% physical

Most are older

80% are over 45

Most are black

70% black

25% white

5% other

9% are veterans

Most are male

63% male

36% female

1% other

Numbers can never tell the full story
 of the supportive housing model

View our full Impact Report to see more

Impact Report

Stories of Hope

Muhammad

The Crossings

Before experiencing homelessness, Muhammad was a true American success story. An Iraqi immigrant, he worked for the U.S. Army, made a six-figure income, and was happily married with two kids and a beautiful home in Virginia.

But while deployed, he was injured. When he came home, his disability and PTSD began affecting his life and relationships. His marriage fell apart, and he lost his home and investments. In January 2015, he moved into his car, where he lived for the next eight years.

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Living in his car was incredibly difficult. The Walmart parking lot was one of the few places he could park overnight. He sometimes slept on the street just to be able to stretch his legs out fully. With few services available in the city, he relied on the Haven shelter for breakfast and showers. To earn money, he would drive for Uber and Lyft, often driving all the way to Richmond to pick up passengers from the airport, where the money was better than in Charlottesville. His health deteriorated. He missed doctors’ appointments and was unable to stay on top of his medications. His diet depended on fast food, causing him to gain weight. The years of cramped sleep caused permanent damage to his body. “I lost my dignity in that time,” he says.

The challenges and roadblocks of bureaucracy also thwarted his housing search. He reached the front of the line for a spot at the Crossings in May 2022, but lost out when his street homelessness made him difficult to get in contact with. He was awarded a Housing Choice Voucher, but an eviction on his record made him ineligible for many units. He would try to research apartments on his own, searching on his phone or at Panera on his laptop when he could afford to buy something. But apartment application fees piled up and made the process too expensive to continue.

He eventually connected with a few agencies to work on securing housing. Through combined efforts and advocacy from caseworkers at the Jefferson Area Board for Aging and the Albemarle County Office of Housing, he was finally given an apartment in the Crossings in January 2023.

After so many years on the street, Muhammad is still adjusting to his new life. “I’ll drive back to the places I used to sleep. Sometimes I forget I have somewhere to come home to. Sometimes I can’t believe it.” For him, it’s a second layer of PTSD he’s working through. He’ll see people experiencing homelessness—especially those on the street – and cry, remembering his own experience. “I’m lucky I have a car,” he says. “I help neighbors as much as I can. Especially when I have gas.” And now that he’s housed, he’s working to get his health back on track. “I have been able to make food, good meals. Iraqi food, American food—healthy food.”

And for the first time in a long time, he’s looking forward to the future. “Every day I have hope—that’s the best part.”

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Joel

Gosnold

Very few people understand the power of grace to change someone’s life like Joel Chambers. Both grace from those around you and “God’s grace in saving and changing lives.”

Before he experienced homelessness, Joel’s life showed his commitment to what he calls “progress, not perfection.” He’d been involved in the criminal justice system as a young man, but was working hard to reintegrate back into society after some time in prison. He was married, had a job at an Apple Genius Bar, and was in college full-time getting his degree in software development. “Life was good,” he said.

One day in 2016, he woke up unable to walk. He was soon diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He spent months in in-patient care and was told he may never walk again.

As Joel processed his life-changing diagnosis, its impact rippled across his life and relationships. He was unable to work, with only his disability benefits to fill the gap. He began self-medicating with alcohol. And his personal relationships felt the strain. “With all the attention on my MS, my wife was sidelined. By me, by our friends. Our marriage fell apart.” In March 2018, he was evicted from his apartment on his birthday.

After he moved into a shelter, Joel began DJing as a way to earn extra money. But the proximity to nightlife only worsened his alcohol dependence. He earned two DUIs and quickly found himself back in prison.

When he exited prison a few months later, he was still homeless. He moved between hotels, shelters, and the oceanfront. In November 2018, the Virginia Beach Housing Resource Center called to offer him a short-term room, where he stayed until March 2019. “As I was leaving my appointment with the HRC counselor where they’d told me I had to leave, Monica called. She told me she had a room at Gosnold for me.” Here, he says, was grace from God. “Things don’t play out like that without God. I popped a wheelie and spun right back to the HRC!” And in March 2019, he moved into his own apartment at Gosnold.

In prison, he had connected to resources to address his substance abuse—both Alcoholics Anonymous and a faith-based recovery program through Grace Bible Church called Celebrate Recovery (CR). And through CR—and the wider (and aptly named) Grace community, he found grace from those around him.

Through the combination of stable housing and participating in CR, Joel found himself “really growing and building.” Without the stress of survival, his MS symptoms eased. He got custom ankle foot orthotics, which reduced his use of a wheelchair. He reconnected with an old boss and put his Genius Bar skills back into use. The extra money allowed him to buy a car, giving him even more mobility. “Having a stable home environment allowed me to excel in other aspects of my life because I’m not worried about where I’m going to sleep. I don’t have those struggles anymore.”

Most importantly, as he became more engaged with CR, he began attending the church as well. He transitioned to the staff side of the recovery program, then was hired full-time at the church as a Guest Services Director. “You mess something up, you get grace. I’m working at a church that truly lives their values.”

Through grace—and through Grace—he has found his path. He tries to pay that forward, using his car or free time to help his neighbors. His parents tell him regularly how proud they are of him. “To turn around, to make that shift—it’s not a phase or a season, but a life. All the things, good and bad, played their part in it. Grace is a gift.”

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Curtis

Studios at South Richmond

I’m a person that worked real hard and worked all my life. I used to feed the homeless and everything. And then one day, I looked up and I was there… It was really hard to see myself like that.” Mr. Moore recalled when talking about his story.

Mr. Moore is a man who always worked hard for the things he had and for the people around him. In 1991, while living in Baltimore, Mr. Moore was shot in the neck while saving five people’s lives. This left him partially paralyzed and with Brown-Séquard Syndrome. This disability changed his life.